Max Verstappen Calls the F1 Paddock “a Zoo”: What He Said
Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday, but the comments that drew a spike in searches from US fans came earlier in the week. In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the four-time champion said the Formula 1 paddock has become crowded with guests and VIPs. His summary was blunt: “It’s like a zoo.”
Here is what he said, the context behind it and why it matters for F1.
What Verstappen Said About the Paddock
Verstappen told De Telegraaf that it has become hard to hold a normal conversation in the paddock, according to ESPN’s report. He said he now spends most of a race weekend moving between his room, the garage and the pit lane. Guests in the hospitality areas, he explained, often want something from the drivers.
He also said he needs time to rest between sessions without constant interruptions. Fame comes with the job, he accepts, but he wants a quieter space to prepare.
The Context: A Long Season and a New Contract
Verstappen recently signed a Red Bull extension through 2030. The deal ended nearly two years of talk about a move to Mercedes or an early retirement. He said he was “really on the brink” of quitting, especially early in the season, TSN reported.
Family is part of it. His daughter Lily was born in 2024, and he has said travel has become harder and he wants to be present as she grows up.
A Pattern, Not a One-Off
Verstappen has questioned parts of F1’s popularity boom before. He opted out of several seasons of Drive to Survive over how he was portrayed and did little promotion for the F1 Hollywood movie. The new V6 hybrid engines introduced this year have also drawn his criticism. Our 2026 F1 car rules explainer covers what changed.
How He Answered on Track
None of it slowed him down in Singapore. Verstappen led every session of the weekend, won the wet sprint and then won the Grand Prix from pole. It was his first win at Marina Bay and came in his 250th Grand Prix start. Read our Singapore results recap for the full race.
Where Verstappen Stands in 2026
Verstappen is fourth in the drivers’ standings with 221 points, eight behind Lewis Hamilton. He is out of the title fight but very much in the battle for second place. See the full F1 standings 2026.
He is also a four-time world champion and third on the all-time wins list, behind Lewis Hamilton (106) and Michael Schumacher (91).
Why It Matters for F1
Paddock access is a big part of F1’s business, from sponsor guests to celebrity visits on race weekends in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas. Now the sport’s most successful active driver says the space has become too crowded to work in. That puts pressure on teams and organizers to find a balance. Expect the topic to come up again during the United States Grand Prix weekend. The same paddock produced one of the lighter stories of the Singapore weekend, when Hamilton and Leclerc took over Ferrari’s Instagram.
What the paddock actually is
The paddock is the fenced area behind the garages. It holds the team motorhomes and hospitality units, the media centre, the medical centre and the route the cars use to reach the pit lane.
Access is controlled by passes, and the pass tiers matter. A team pass, a media pass and a hospitality pass all open different doors, and the paddock club sits at the top of that stack as the paid version.
That is the space Verstappen was describing. Between sessions it is the only place a driver can walk from the garage to the motorhome, which means every walk is a crossing through whoever is standing there.
How paddock access became a business
Hospitality was not always the centre of a race weekend. Since the sport changed owners in 2017, F1 and the teams have pushed much harder on selling access, and the paddock has become a product rather than a working area.
Every guest in a hospitality unit is a paying customer or a sponsor’s guest. That revenue funds the teams, which is the awkward part of the complaint. The crowd Verstappen finds difficult is the same crowd paying for the cars he drives.
How drivers protect their time
Drivers plan a race weekend around a fixed set of obligations: engineering briefings, media sessions, sponsor appearances and the track sessions themselves, with recovery time in between.
The ones who last in the sport tend to be strict about that schedule. Some use a separate room off the motorhome rather than sitting in the open, and most treat the walk from garage to motorhome as the only private part of the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Verstappen say about the F1 paddock?
He told De Telegraaf the paddock is “like a zoo” and that it has become hard to hold a conversation there.
How long is Verstappen’s Red Bull contract?
He recently extended his Red Bull deal through 2030.
Where is Verstappen in the 2026 standings?
Fourth, with 221 points after his win in Singapore.
What is the F1 paddock?
The fenced area behind the garages at a circuit, containing team hospitality units, the media centre and the medical centre. Access is controlled by passes.
Can fans buy paddock access?
Not directly. Teams and Formula 1 sell hospitality packages that include paddock access, and they sit at the expensive end of the ticket market.
